Tuesday, December 30, 2008

New dates and registration instructions for next year's (2009) Single Speed World Championship:

August 6-9th is no more. September 16th through the 20th will be the new and last date to remember. The riding is way better at that time of year anyway, so be stoked. Sorry to all you school teachers and school kids, you may have to call in sick or get a sub. Remember that Sunday January 4th, right here, we will post the mail-in registration form and the address. The reg form also doubles as a coloring contest, so do your best and get creative with it, as those who do will be rewarded.

Wednesday, December 24, 2008

It's a slow week due to the holidays but this post caught my eye and made me happy:

I caught up with local rider/racer, and PacificPedalling guest-poster Tina Brubaker last Thursday for a few moments while she hustled through a portion of her Keizer route, delivering packages for UPS. As you can see from the photo above, that ain’t no gas-guzzlin’ brown van she’s driving, but instead an entirely human powered, good old fashioned bike!

Tuesday, December 23, 2008

For those of you in the Roseville, CA school district, they're getting started early this year for the NorCal HS league:

The Woodcreek High School Mountain Bike Club will officially begin preparation for the 2009 high school mountain bike racing season on December 27th with a four day training camp in Granite Bay, California. The camp will consist of four days of training rides, skills clinics, team meeting and evening social get-togethers. This is the second year that the team will hold a pre-season training camp over the Christmas holiday. Last year’s event was very successful in spite of record cold temperatures in the area.

This year the team camp will feature a visit from guest pro bike racer Mike Sayers, from BMC Cycling. Sayers, a recently retired pro, will be sharing his expertise and passion for cycling with the team. “I asked Mike if he would be willing to ride with us, and I was thrilled that he had space in his schedule and he accepted our invitation”, said Jim Winne, the Director of the Woodcreek team. “I have always admired Mikes approach to the sport, and to life, and I’m glad that the kids will get a chance to rub elbows with him.

This four-day camp based at various sites around Folsom Lake, will be the first step in preparing the team for the 2009 racing season with the NorCal High School Mountain Bike Racing League. This popular and highly competitive cross-country racing series is comprised of over 30 high school teams from Northern and Central California. Woodcreek High School will be starting their third season in the league. Last year Woodcreek finished the season ranked in the top five in Division 1 competition.

Monday, December 22, 2008

We have been looking through tons of old bmx plus mags, and now are feeling good about things. For those of you with spoke cards from Napa, listen up. We will be posting a reg form over to the right on December 28th. You will then print it, write on it and send it and your spoke card to our mailing address. You will get an entry if you send us your card. For all the others, you need to keep waiting.

These are other things that are for sure so far; amazing insurance, beer, and 6 guys who are stoked.

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

This post has really nothing to do about mountain biking or racing. In fact, it's about computers and HTML. If this scares you, please feel free to skip today's content and come back tomorrow.

A few loyal readers have been asking "Can I add the NorCal MTB race list on your sidebar to my blog ?"

To which I am answering "Why, yes you can Virginia" even though I doubt any of my readers names are actually Virginia.

For those of you rocking a blog on Google's Blogger (like this very blog), I've made things super easy. Just click the button below and it will auto-magically add it to your blog.

For those of your using another blogging software, it's a bit harder. In fact, you kinda need to be a bit of an expert. You will need to find a way to add something to your sidebar (usually a item called "HTML/Javascript") and then put this code inside it:

Although this is a bit of a roadtrip, I've heard nothing but good things about riding in Boulder City. And the US MTB Cups will be held nearby this summer, so you could gather some intel:

Presidents day weekend (Febuary 14/15, 2009) will be filled with mountain bike racing for all to enjoy in Bootleg Canyon (outside Las Vegas in Boulder City, NV). This is the fourth year for this festival style race, and the word has been spreading rapidly through the grapevine of racers, spectators and enthusiasts. With over 200 racers last year, the event continues to draw larger crowds annually. Bikes, Bands, BBQ and of course being with your friends riding & racing bikes.

Here’s a quick look at what we have planned so far for this years event:

Downhill ~ Super D ~ Dual Slalom

Shuttles Friday, Saturday & Sunday

U.S.A. Cycling sanctioned event

$2,000.00 pro cash purse and USAC National Points awarded for the downhill competition

Prizes for the top 3 finishers in each amateur category in each discipline

Professionally timed

World renown coach Gene Hamilton will host a 3 day race clinic at the event beginning on 2-12-09

Sunday, December 14, 2008

Official dates and locations for this year's USA Cycling off-road events:

USA Cycling announced today dates and locations for the majority of its 2009 National Championship events.

Off-road ultra-endurance cyclists will celebrate the Fourth of July competing for one of 14 national titles up for grabs at the USA Cycling Mountain Bike Marathon National Championships in Breckenridge, Colo. Held in conjunction with the Firecracker 50, the event will determine champions in both professional and amateur categories.

After two years on the East Coast, the USA Cycling Mountain Bike National Championships head to the Rocky Mountains as Sol Vista Basin in Granby, Colo. plays host July 16-19. Fat tire enthusiasts from across the nation will compete for national titles in pro and amateur categories in several disciplines of off-road racing; including cross country, downhill, short track cross country, 4-cross, single speed cross country and super D.

Ultra-endurance off-road competitors will contest the USA Cycling 24-Hour Mountain Bike National Championships in Payson, Ariz., where national championships will be on the line in nine individual or team categories. A date in mid- to late September is expected.

The USA Cycling Collegiate Mountain Bike National Championships will again take place during its traditional late-October time slot, however exact dates have not yet been determined. A host venue is has not yet been finalized and the bid process remains open indefinitely.

USA Cycling has announced a Pro-only tour, similar to the roadie side, to be held at several of the US Cup races (and some new ones):

USA Cycling announced today the creation of a new professional cross country mountain bike series designed to recognize the top off-road racers in America. The USA Cycling Pro Mountain Bike Cross Country Tour presented by Sho-Air (ProXCT) will consist of seven UCI-sanctioned events throughout the United States, providing world-class athletes with a consistent stage on which to ply their trade ... The series opens with the Fontana round of the U.S. Cup in California on March 29, then continues with the Sea Otter Classic in Monterey on April 19 ... The season then concludes with the USA Cycling ProXCT Finals in Las Vegas on September 26, one day after the conclusion of the industry’s annual gathering at the Interbike Expo ... Although the USA Cycling ProXCT will focus solely on professional cross country racing, plans to roll out a gravity-based tour are expected to be announced in the coming weeks.

Although a lot of people will complain about this, I think this is a good thing. The Pros should have their own series, for all the things like Olympic qualifying and UCI points. However, I am leery that people will drive hours to watch these - road races tends to be held near major cities.

Tuesday, December 09, 2008

"SRAM issued a recall on Tuesday of certain RockShox Domain 302 and 318 fork models produced with a steel steerer tube.

SRAM is pulling these RockShox Domain forks from the marketplace due to potential for the steerer tube to fail.

Consumers with these forks should stop using them immediately and return the fork to dealers for verification of steerer material and serial number. Forks with steel steerers with the specified production codes should be replaced with a similar model fork by dealers, who will be refunded.

The affected forks have codes of 09T8XXXXXXX to 42T8XXXXXXX. The production code is located on the fork crown."

Monday, December 08, 2008

Details (and a schedule) have materialized for the 2009 US Cup, the successor to the now defunct Norba / NMBS series:

"California-based mountain bike race promoters have finalized plans for the 2008 U.S. Cup, a 13-race series set to become the premier cross-country racing series on American soil ... The U.S. Cup is comprised of previously established cross-country races, and is split into two six-race sub series, called the Kenda Cup East and Kenda Cup West ... All 12 races will operate under the wing of the U.S. Cup series, which will hold a series championship on September 26 at the Interbike trade show in Las Vegas.

Sunday, December 07, 2008

"Jeep 48Straight Cancelled? Looks like Jeep has pulled out of sponsoring the 48Straight winter series. We're looking into details regarding the details or potential cancellation of the summer series. Go to 48straight.com"

Friday, December 05, 2008

I think this says more about USA Cycling support (or lack of support) for mountain biking than MTB popularity:

"The sport of competitive cycling in the United States continues to grow, according to the latest figures released by USA Cycling ... Broken down by specific disciplines and types of licenses, road, track and cyclocross grew by 3.2 percent, while mountain bike increased 1.2 percent."

Wednesday, December 03, 2008

Next year's Howarth Park Wednesday Night Dirt Crits have been announced:"The excitement of short track mountain bike racing comes to Howarth Park! Mountain bike racing is fast, fun and good for you too. These races are for anyone who would like to try mountain bike racing on a short course, all skill levels are welcome. All you need is an off-road bicycle, a helmet and a desire to have a blast! The course is approximately 1 mile and consists of smooth, rolling dirt trails. Racers can enter the appropriate category for their skill level and will race for a set length of time depending on experience." This year's dates are as follows:

June 3, 10, 17, 24

July 8, 15, 22, 29

Aug 12, 19, 26

You can see results and details from last year's races in the archives.

Monday, December 01, 2008

Some rate increases and more information about the new MTB categories for 2009:

"In looking ahead to next year’s racing season, I would like to take this opportunity to remind you that 2009 licenses go on sale beginning Dec. 1, 2008 ... However, as a result of a significant increase in insurance claims and premiums, we will be forced to increase our insurance surcharge by an additional $1.00 per race day to $3.00 per day for all sanctioned competitive events. This increase is a direct result of rising insurance costs driven by a 125% increase in claims compared to 2006. In addition to the increase in our medical insurance premium, we are also facing a 15% increase in our liability premium for 2009 ...

The introduction of new mountain bike categories for the 2009 racing season also warrants some clarification of the license requirements for our off-road members. The traditional Beginner, Sport, Expert and Semi-Pro categories have been replaced by numerical categories 3, 2 and 1. The Pro category will remain unchanged; and you Semi-pro riders will have the option of registering as either Pro or Category 1 when you renew your license for 2009. To take advantage of this automatic upgrade to the Pro category, Semi-Pro members must purchase an annual license between Dec. 1, 2008 and Nov. 30, 2009. This automatic upgrade will only be offered during the 2009 season, therefore if a current Semi-Pro member does not purchase a 2009 racing license, he will automatically default to Category 1 status for the 2010 racing season. At that point, regular upgrade procedures will apply. Category 3 and 2 riders can continue to race on a one-day license, though in many cases, holding an annual USA Cycling license can earn competitors a discount on entry fees at the discretion of the race promoter."